Meet Rajanna, the dwarf who dreamt big and won bigger

“When I took up sport I was laughed at,” says CV Rajanna. “People said, ‘Dekho itna chhota aadmi bada baat kar raha hai (Look at this small guy talking big).’ But I wanted to follow my dream and I did.” As he talks, he holds up a clutch of medals by the ribbon, the metal discs almost touching his toes. They aren’t all the medals he’s won — 76 so far: 60 national and 16 international — but it’s an impressive statement.

The problem, as Rajanna will tell you, is that no one really cares that he’s a serial medal-winner. He’s a dwarf, in a country that — at best — has no time for dwarfs.